Four ancient African languages – older than English – but spoken till this day

Cushitic languages

Unlike the Khoisan languages spoken by some 400,000 or so people and are very localized, the Cushitic languages are spoken by millions and have formed the bases of national identities.

Although some tongues in Kenya and Tanzania have been linked with the Cushites, those unarguably linked to the Cushite culture from about 1,000 BC are the peoples of the countries in the Horn of Africa – Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia.

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Over 15 languages are in this category, some of which have been spoken for 3,000 years.